my {not so} baby

tonight as i rocked and sang brooks to sleep, i couldn't help but get a little emotional thinking that this could be the last night that he is my baby.

for 15 1/2 months he's been my little side kick, my shopping buddy, basically my best little friend.  my heart feels a little sad for him knowing that any day now (wishing it was like, ya know, 5 days ago) his world is going to be completely rocked.

he's so good and soft with babies, in fact, he loves them, but i do worry about the shared attention and the fact that baby girl is here to stay.  

i'm excited to see him interact with her and learn how to incorporate her into our little club and daily routines and activities.

a few little things about brooks at {15.5 months} that i always want to remember...

his love of outdoors and trucks/cars.

last saturday, while brooks was napping i put up all of our halloween decorations.  when he woke up he was so excited and kept pointing to everything.  he then found this mummy and they became instant best friends.  he carries it around daily, snuggles with it, tackles it, and in the picture he is waving at his new friend.  he's such a funny boy.

he's looking like such a big boy and i love how cute he is in his little vest.

i bought him a backpack the other week and he is obsessed!  we have given up his diaper bag and he now is in charge of carrying his own diapers, wipes, snacks, and toys.  it makes him so proud and he looks stinking cute walking around with his backpack.

he loves taking selfies and often holds the phone up pretending to take one himself.

oh, how i love this sweet little boy.

he has been so cuddly lately and gives the best loves.

he knows that his baby sister is in my belly and he's already showering her with hugs and kisses.  he loves to lift up my shirt and pat my belly or poke my belly button.  

brooks hayden, you will always be my little baby boy.

i love you so much and i am excited to see you grow into a boy and a big brother.

you are so special to your daddy and me, never forget that.

xoxo, your momma

maternity photos pt. 2 + brooks at 15 months.

brooks jumped in some of my maternity pictures and was being the biggest ham.  this kid is not camera shy, and it made for some pretty sweet moments.  oh, i just love him.

brooks at 15 months

weight: 23 pounds 5 ounces (62%)

height: 33 inches (96%)

head circum: 19.25 inches (94%)

he loves:

-stuffed animals

-keys and driving dad's car

-playing outside

-throwing anything and everything away

-dancing to music

-fake laughing when other people are laughing

-getting chased/chasing people

-cuddling

-poking my belly button

-taking tubbys and dumping cups of water on himself

he dislikes:

-being alone

-when he doesn't get his way

-leaving his honey's house (grandma)

-most food as of late

-animals that get too close for comfort, he likes to admire from afar

at 15 months, brooks is quite the little handful.  he is into EVERYTHING.  he loves to open all the cupboards and take things out.  sometimes he will put them back.  he loves to hide things in drawers and his special hiding spot is the crock pot.  he routinely will walk into the bathroom and pull down all of the towels and unravel some toilet paper.

he LOVES to help out by throwing things in the garbage like diapers and trash and he gets the proudest smile on his face after he does it.  a few times a day i have to check the trash for other non trash items he may have "helped" to throw away... remotes, keys, clothes, food from the pantry etc.

he babbles a lot and can say typical words like mama, dada, hot, ball, shoes, zeus (his puppy), no, yeah, etc. but he is pretty stubborn when it comes to talking.  he will often repeat a word once or twice and then will not say it again.

he can sign all done, please, more, and thank you.

he understands so much, but chooses to communicate in grunting, pointing, and whining which can be quite annoying.

he has always been a cuddle bug, but lately he is so lovey and i can't get enough.  he is quite attached to his mommy and daddy and i can't help but think he knows his world is about to be rocked.  he constantly comes over to matt or i and lays his head on us and says, "awww." or lays a big wet kiss.  he loves to put his hands around our necks and nuzzle his little face into our shoulders.

he seriously is the sweetest little nugget. 

he is quite friendly and loves to wave to people at the store.  he is quite a flirt with the ladies and will bat his pearly blue eyes.

he LOVES to watch kids play, especially our neighbor kids and his cousins.  

he is quite the little turkey, but we love him to death.  he has made the last 15 months so fun and full of joy and happiness.  even when i want to sell him on ebay, he has the ability to melt my heart or make me laugh.

my baby is about to become a little boy.

throwback thursday: birthday party.

on june 15th, my baby turned ONE...and i am just now blogging about it.

we celebrated by having a swim themed party in my parents backyard.  naturally, the day we chose was a little bit on the chilly side for a summer swim party but that didn't stop the fun from being had.

some of the decor:

the lighting was awful and i was running around with my head cut off so matt snapped some photos real quick and didn't quite capture all the cute details, but i love him anyway.

the soda cans had straws attached with little googles making them a snorkle set.

similar to this.

for dessert we had these ocean cups.

the candy bar selection consisted of:

-gumballs for "beach balls"

-colored licorice for "pool noodles"

-swedish fish

-saltwater taffy

we had hot dogs, fruit, veggies, chips, and a variety of treats and dessert.

we displayed his one year photos, along with his monthly photos to show how he grew over the year.

i got brave and decided to make his cake which actually turned out pretty cute.  the kid went to town and literally ate half of it.  the next day his poop was actually blue because of the dye in the frosting haha!

brooks was so loved and spoiled by lots of family and friends.

here's to the next year.

hopefully it doesn't go by so fast!

one year old.

brooks hayden harris

at

one year old.

height: 31 inches (86%)

weight: 21 pounds 15 ounces (60%)
head circum: 18 3/4 inches (80%)

this little nugget just fills my heart with joy.  he is such a little ham and brings a smile to everyone's face.  there are so many little things he does that i never want to forget.

he is learning how to stand up from laying/sitting position.  i love how concentrated he is while trying to get up and i love it even more when he falls back over and lays on the ground in a moment of defeat like he is dead.  it's the cutest thing... and then he gets back up and tries again.

i love how he is beginning to understand so much more lately.  in the morning i will ask him if he wants food or breakfast and he either says "yahh" or "mmm"  then i will tell him to go get me his food and he will walk to the shelf and bring me some baby food.

in the morning if we bring him in bed with us he will tickle our backs or faces for a minute, and then it turns into swatting or grabbing.

i love how excited he gets when he sees his daddy after a long day of work.

when he sees a cell phone he will put it up to his ear and jabber or sometimes say his version of "hello."  he LOVES to call his dad while he's at work and talk to him on speaker phone... he gets so excited and sometimes he will bring my phone to me.

he refuses to say mama (even though he can) he always says "dada" when i ask him to say mama.

he loves putting his shoes on because he knows we are either going to play outside or going bye-bye.

he's so soft with other kids and babies.  he likes to touch them and say "ooooooo."  he is quite scared of aggressive children however and cries easily if they manhandle him.

he loves to give hugs and kisses and loves to cuddle... i hope that never changes.

we had such a fun celebration with family and friends, which i will blog about in its own post.  this first year of brooks' life flew by.  he has brought such a sweet, loving spirit in our home.  i'm not the perfect mama, but he has taught me how to love unconditionally and to do my best.

happy one year, brooks hayden.
mom and dad love you more than you know.